At the moment, there are so many stories in the media around how we need at least seven to eight hours of sleep, in order to function, to exercise, and to perform at our best.

However, this isn’t actually the case. The truth is, everyone has a different sleep need. So, by constantly telling yourself to always get seven or eight hours of sleep, all you’re doing is adding to the pressure, which will likely result in you actually getting less sleep.

This is because by adding this stress and pressure to sleep, you trigger your adrenaline response. This response is necessary when you are in danger as you need your body on red alert to keep you safe, however if this is triggered by thinking about bedtime then you will struggle to sleep well.

Worry about the impact of not getting ‘enough’ sleep will impact your mood and your motivation. Learning ways to notice what you are worried about but then choosing to re-frame or let go of the worries using CBT-i techniques is the key to tackling fear around not getting enough sleep.

So, always remember to focus on the quality of your sleep, not the quantity, and if you can get five or six hours of quality sleep, this is a much better starting point than trying to get to eight hours.

The reality is, eight hours of broken sleep is going to leave you feeling much worse than a solid but smaller chunk of good quality sleep. So, by using CBT for insomnia techniques you can improve the quality of your sleep, resulting in you feeling better and far more rested.